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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344878">Ink</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marsalias/pseuds/Marsalias'>Marsalias</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dannymay 2019 [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Danny Phantom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Exploration, Gen, crossposted from ffn, world building</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:55:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>999</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24344878</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marsalias/pseuds/Marsalias</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny liked exploring. Exploring led him to lots of interesting places. Of course, exploring was also dangerous, especially in the Ghost Zone, so Danny liked to go with someone else, even if that someone else was Ghost Writer, who Clockwork was basically blackmailing into tutoring him. It was funny how life (and afterlife) worked sometimes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dannymay 2019 [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757458</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>263</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ink</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Danny liked exploring. Exploring led him to lots of interesting places. Of course, exploring was also dangerous, especially in the Ghost Zone, so Danny liked to go with someone else, even if that someone else was Ghost Writer, who Clockwork was basically blackmailing into tutoring him. It was funny how life (and afterlife) worked sometimes.</p><p>Ghost Writer had announced when Danny had shown up that day, that he needed to go buy 'supplies,' and that he had to cancel. Danny hadn't wanted to leave after taking so much time to get there, and he wanted to see what kind of 'supplies' Ghost Writer was getting, and said that he was going to go with Ghost Writer. Ghost Writer hadn't been terribly happy about that, but he had given in.</p><p>"If you come with me," said Ghost Writer as they walked through his lair, "you'll have to follow certain rules. Or I'll leave you, Lord Clockwork or not."</p><p>"Okay," said Danny.</p><p>"First, while we're there, you stay with me, and follow my instructions."</p><p>"Fine."</p><p>"Second, you don't touch anything."</p><p>"Like, anything anything? What if someone gives me something? Or if it's something I need to touch? Like a door."</p><p>Ghost Writer groaned. "I suppose, if you're given permission by the <em>owner, </em>you can touch it."</p><p>"Cool."</p><p>"Third, don't talk to anyone. Actually, just don't talk."</p><p>"What if I have to talk to you?"</p><p>"Fine. You can talk to me, but keep it to a minimum."</p><p>"I can do that. So where are we going?" asked Danny cheerfully.</p><p>"The Artist's Alley," said Ghost Writer.</p><p>"And what do you need to get?"</p><p>Ghost Writer sighed. "Ink," he said. "I need ink for my printer."</p><p>"Okay. Cool. But why are we going <em>deeper </em>into your lair?"</p><p>"I have a second door," said Ghost Writer, irritably. "It opens to the Alley."</p><p>They rounded a corner and reached said door. Ghost Writer, lips curved deeply downward, went through first. Danny followed closely behind, and was awestruck.</p><p>The 'Alley,' was a large tube covered on all sides by what looked like nothing so much as the most colorful Saturday Market he'd ever seen. It was neon bright, and full of tents and floating doors. There were all sorts of arts, crafts, and supplies on display. There were paints, and paintings, wirework, and jewelry. There were little blown glass bottles decorated with beads, and journals made of pressed, patterned leather and pretty paper. Danny flitted back and forth across the corridor Ghost Writer had dragged him down to, wanting to look at everything.</p><p>Ghost Writer grabbed him by the back of the shirt, and pulled him back.</p><p>"I said, stay with me. I don't want you to destroy someone else's work."</p><p>Danny flinched. "I never meant to destroy your poem," said Danny, quietly, "and you got another one, didn't you?"</p><p>"I wouldn't have <em>had</em> to replace it if you were actually careful or at all responsible with your powers," said Ghost Writer. "I don't want to get in a fight, so stay still."</p><p>Danny pouted, but the surroundings really were too interesting for him to do that for long. "So, do people sell their things, or is it just a display?"</p><p>"I wouldn't be coming to get printer ink here if it was just a display," sneered Ghost Writer, although it was somewhat halfhearted, softer than usual.</p><p>"Is there like, money? Or do you have to trade with stuff?"</p><p>Ghost Writer stopped, and looked at Danny with some disbelief. "Have you never bought anything?"</p><p>"Not <em>here,</em>" said Danny. "I live in the human world, mostly, remember?" He did not add that teaching him ghost culture things was Ghost Writer's job. Ghost Writer could probably fill that in on his own, he was good at <em>subtext </em>after all. He suppressed a snicker.</p><p>"Individual Realms have their own currencies," said Ghost Writer, resuming forward motion. "As do some other communities, this one included. Whether or not a ghost will accept those currencies depends strictly and solely on the ghost in question. Otherwise, yes, a barter system is used. There are certain trade goods which are always, or almost always, accepted. Gold and silver, high-grade energized ectoplasm, ghost ice-"</p><p>"Ghost ice?" asked Danny, surprised.</p><p>"Yes," said Ghost Writer. "Properly constructed, it never melts, and is useful for a number of things. I couldn't properly describe most of them, but-"</p><p>"I can do ghost ice."</p><p>"You? Please. Ghosts with core temperatures low enough to even begin to master ice are vanishingly-" Ghost Writer looked over his shoulder, and came to a halt.</p><p>Danny was forming an ice crystal between his two cupped hands. "You were saying?"</p><p>Ghost Writer grumbled under his breath, and continued on.</p><p>"I mean, I don't know about <em>forever, </em>but they don't melt unless I want them to."</p><p>"Yes, yes, and now you can make money from nothing. Wonderful."</p><p>"<em>I </em>think it's cool," said Danny. "Do you want one?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"What are <em>you</em> paying with?"</p><p>"Poetry, if you must know," said Ghost Writer. "<em>Some </em>people actually appreciate my work."</p><p>"Okay," said Danny. Then he pointed at a tent that had 'Inkmaster' written on it in large, black letters. "Is that it? Is that the place?"</p><p>Ghost Writer sighed heavily. "Yes."</p><p>They walked in. The tent was mostly stocked with glass and plastic bottles full of black and multicolored liquid, but there were also rectangular and patterned inksticks and cakes, and there was a large stack of printer cartridge boxes in the corner. What really caught Danny's eye, though, were the paintings. They were all smooth black ink on white paper, graceful lines and the illusion of depth.</p><p>"Wow," said Danny, floating nearer. "These are cool."</p><p>"Don't touch anything," said Ghost Writer, sharply.</p><p>"It's fine," said the old-looking ghost who sat in the corner of the tent, long beard tossed over his shoulder. "You like my paintings?"</p><p>"Yes," said Danny. "They're very nice. How'd you do it?"</p><p>The ghost grinned, and rolled up his sleeves. "How about a demonstration?"</p>
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